| Official Name: | Wells, New York |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Mapsize: | 260px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Hamilton |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Town Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | Beth Hunt (R) |
| Leader Title1: | Town Council |
| Leader Title3: | Highway Superintendent |
| Leader Name3: | Clay Earley Jr. (R) |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 461.96 |
| Area Land Km2: | 457.91 |
| Area Water Km2: | 4.05 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 178.36 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 176.80 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 1.56 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 683 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1.39 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 3.61 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 517 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1696 |
| Coordinates: | 43.3958°N -74.2894°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 12190 |
| Area Code: | 518 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-041-79059 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0979615[2] |
Wells is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 674 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Joshua Wells, a land agent, who built the first mills in the area. It is in the Adirondack Park and on the eastern border of the county. It is northwest of Schenectady.
The area was first settled around 1798. The town was formed in 1805 while still part of Montgomery County, and was set off from parts of the towns of Mayfield and Northampton. The town was subsequently reduced by the formation of other towns in Hamilton County, to include Hope (1818) and Long Lake (1837).
The town of Gilman was reportedly named for settler John Gilman. Elias P. Gilman petitioned the state and had surveys of Gilman made in 1838.[3] Land was taken from Wells in 1841, but much of that region was returned to Wells when Gilman was dissolved in 1860. Wells has been increased subsequent to its initial formation by parts of Mayfield (1812, 1816), Northampton (1816), and Lake Pleasant (1858).
The United States of America declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. The settlers of Wells and Lake Pleasant were afraid of potential attacks from Native Americans who allied with the British Empire to attack American settlements. The Native Americans were seen roaming in the forest hunting, trapping and fishing. Despite no attacks, the Adirondack settlers, who considered themselves on the northern frontier boundary of the St. Lawrence, fled from their homes and scattered themselves to the counties of Saratoga, Rensselaer and Montgomery. All inhabitants except the Peck family left Lake Pleasant, and so did a large majority leave Wells. An application was made by a remaining few settlers to New York governor Daniel D. Tompkins for an order to raise a company of volunteers from Lake Pleasant and Wells to create a militia in order to "allay the fears of the inhabitants," to protect them from a possible massacre and to encourage them to return to their homes. The petition was granted and William B Peck of Lake Pleasant was commissioned captain of the Wells and Lake Pleasant Home Guards of Company C under Montgomery counties militia 122 regiment. Lt. John L Francisco of Wells later took command of the militia, as William Peck retired from his post.[4]
The War of 1812 brought a need for roads to be built so United States forces could invade Canada. A military road was created through the town of Wells to reach the St. Lawrence river so men and provisions could be transported easily into Canadian territory.[5]
A Massachusetts Air National Guard plane crash occurred on September 17, 1986, in Wells. Four planes were involved in the training mission and two of the four crashed into the Adirondack mountains, killing one pilot and injuring the other.[6] The crash is said to have been the inspiration for a two-part episode of The X-Files, set in the nearby village of Northville, New York, but no filming took place in either location.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 178.4sqmi, of which 177.2sqmi is land and 1.2sqmi (0.66%) is water.
The eastern town line is the border with Warren County.
New York State Route 30 is a north-south highway. New York State Route 8, an east-west highway, runs concurrently with NY-30 in the central part of Wells.
The area was first settled circa 1798.
Wells is a small rural community set on Lake Algonquin. The town is a tourist destination for outdoor activities including boating, kayaking, hiking, camping, fishing, and snowmobiling. In the winter it hosts ice racing on the lake. Every year, Old Home Days is hosted during the first full weekend of August.
As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 674 people living in the town, organized as 322 households and 205 families. The population density was 3.8 people per square mile (1.6/km2). There were 780 housing units at an average density of 4.4 per square mile (1.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.61% White, 0.54% African American, 0.81% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.27% of the population.
There were 322 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,107, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $34,821 versus $24,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,174. About 8.5% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.
The southern border of Wells is formed by the towns of Benson and Hope. The town of Arietta is at the western border, Lake Pleasant is the northwestern border, and Indian Lake is the northern border. The towns of Stony Creek, Thurman, and Johnsburg in Warren County are to the east.